Local & Regional

2:24 pm

Thu February 16, 2012

Personhood clears Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Senate has overwhelmingly approved an anti-abortion "personhood" bill that declares life begins at conception, despite objections from the medical community that the bill could have dire unintended consequences.

The GOP-controlled Senate voted 34-8 for the bill by Tulsa Republican Senator Brian Crain. It now heads to the House for consideration.

Crain says the bill is modeled after a 1986 Missouri law that was later determined by the U.S. Supreme Court to be constitutional. It provides embryos and fetuses with "all the rights, privileges, and immunities" of other citizens.

The bill is opposed by the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which represents about 5,000 doctors and medical students in the state.

Oklahoma City reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Eli Reshef described the bill as an "embarrassment."